Welcome!

I'm Clifford Stumme, and I use literary analysis and research to explain the deeper meanings of pop songs. Feel free to leave a comment or to email me at clifford@popsongprofessor.com with questions or ideas!

In this episode of the Pop Song Professor podcast, Clifford Stumme explains what's going on with Twenty One Pilots' song "Run and Go" and how it connects closely to the story behind "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme does a thorough explanation of "Guns for Hands" by Twenty One Pilots, and he does it with your help! About a month ago, he put out a call for help in explaining this amazing song, and you responded! Thanks for your help!

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme and his guest Dr. Tess Stockslager take a long, close look at Mumford and Sons's album Sigh No More to map out how the album's songs work together to tell a story of frustration, anger, redemption, and victory. It's a podcast that you really won't want to miss.

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme continues his series on the Twenty One Pilots album Vessel with "Migraine." It's a deep song, and there's some really good stuff here. Be sure to listen! And feel free to email Clifford back at jugglingcliff@gmail.com with your thoughts.

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme tackles another serious song in his series on the Twenty One Pilots album Vessel. Like the others, "Ode to Sleep" is full of meaning and valuable insights into life and one's mental life. Enjoy and be sure to share with other Skeleton Clique members and those who need to become Skeleton Clique members.

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme takes on his next Twenty One Pilots explanation project. A LOT of TOP fans requested Clifford explain "House of Gold," and he couldn't wait. "House of Gold" by Twenty One Pilots is a deep song with plenty below the surface and much to think about. Enjoy hearing it explained line-by-line by the Pop Song Professor!

I became a Twenty One Pilots fan my first year of grad school when I was meeting up with some friends in a parking lot. Twenty-One-Pilots-Early-Adopter Heather had her car door open and was playing "Car Radio" pretty loudly. The song sounded weird, and I didn't think much of it, but I kept hearing it around, so I pulled it up on YouTube and eventually bought it or something (maybe used Spotify?).

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme takes on "Car Radio" by Twenty One Pilots and uses rock legend "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey to help him do it! "Car Radio" is about thoughtfulness and is an incredibly thoughtful song itself. Don't miss this explanation!

Enjoy this podcast that asks a big question. Please email me at jugglingcliff@gmail.com if you have a response to what I said. I'm still ironing out some of the details of my theory here, so bear with me. Have a great day!

I explained the meaning of Twenty One Pilots's new single "Heathens." My argument was that it addressed new fans of the band, telling them to be careful around members of the Skeleton Clique (Twenty One Pilots's VERY enthusiastic fanbase). I thought Tyler Joseph, the lead singer and songwriter for the band, was maybe even telling people to be careful about being judgmental towards those they didn't understand.

It's (basically) a rule that Twenty One Pilots doesn't write in the same genre twice. And we can definitely hear that here with "Heathens." The song is part grunge, maybe part R&B, and part pop. It reminds me of "Fairly Local" more than any other song by them, but even then it's iffy. You can listen if you like and let me know what you think (unless the leaked location I've been listening to has already been removed). Alternatively, I recommend searching for it on Twitter; there seem to be many uploads of the song there.

"Kitchen Sink" is an awesome song. I love just about anything that Twenty One Pilots puts out, and this song from a while back is not an exception. Take a listen to the song and then check out the song itself and then listen to my explanation of what a "Kitchen Sink" is. Be warned that that is a mystery you're not going to figure out without a little help or some research. I know needed to ask for help with this one.

When Twenty One Pilots released Blurryface, they designed their album cover to be very symbolic and very cryptic just as Tyler Joseph promised. In an interview with Alternative Press, he says, "There are so many layers-both literally and in the meaning of the album cover-that are so important to Josh & I. We've worked very hard on it. We can't wait for you guys to discover it once you get your hands on it. But every element was very thought-through, and very intentional."